Chael Sonnen is prepared to win the UFC light heavyweight title from Jon Jones at UFC 152.
There’s just one little problem.
Jones is currently scheduled to defend his belt against Vitor Belfort at the same event.
Sonnen, however, sees things differently according to UFC president Dana White. In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, White said Sonnen has been readying himself for a fight with Jones since he accepted a late-notice title shot for UFC 151 against the 205-pound champion.
“Chael Sonnen is in full training camp right now,” White said. “He’s been training since he got offered the Jones fight. [Chael] said, ‘I’m in full camp right now because Vitor will get hurt and pull out, and it will be Jones vs. Sonnen anyway.”
Sonnen has even gone as far as promoting a new UFC 152 poster (pictured above) as a background on his Twitter page.
The UFC tried to book a bout between Jones and Sonnen after a Dan Henderson injury to save the since-cancelled UFC 151 fight card. Sonnen accepted, but Jones declined; stating that eight-days notice would not be enough to prepare for a title defense against an opponent like Sonnen.
If Belfort is going to withdraw from the UFC 152 main event, he has one week to do so. Considering there is very little physical preparation that goes into the week leading up to a fight, it would appear highly unlikely that Sonnen will find himself standing across the cage from Jones in Toronto, Canada next Saturday night.
Despite his willingness to compete against others, Sonnen is still reportedly booked for a December fight with former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin. That matchup is expected to take place at UFC 155, the final event of the UFC’s 2012 calender.
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